At the Break of Dawn
by VividInk
Summary: Jake and Neytiri share a meaningful moment at the dawn of the day he is to choose his Ikran. A Jake & Neytiri oneshot!


**At the Break of Dawn**

_**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back again with another Jake & Neytiri one-shot! This one's an original plot idea of mine so there are no major spoilers in it, for those who have not seen '**_**Avatar'**_**. Thank you to all those who supported and reviewed my first Jake & Neytiri oneshot, '**_**Duty & Heart'**_**. It was nice to see how many of you enjoyed my expansion on their relationship in the movie through that oneshot. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fluffy one too and do review to give me your thoughts and opinions! Enjoy!**_

_**Note: This oneshot features no scenes from the movie but it can be seen as a filler-scene that takes place in the duration of Jake's learning on Pandora. Also my aim for this oneshot is to capture that awkward sexual tension between them as they are both realising their feelings for each other, though I focus a lot mainly on Neytiri. **_

Summary: _Jake and Neytiri share a deep moment at the dawn of the day he is to choose his Ikran. A Jake & Neytiri oneshot!_

***** JAKE & NEYTIRI *****

**Third Person POV**

Neytiri watched Jake sleep peacefully on the mossy ground. The early rays of the sun had started to peak over the horizon, but she didn't want to wake him yet. Not that she had succeeded easily in waking him in the past. He slept like he was dead to be honest and sometimes it would make her heart race in panic until she saw his heavy-lidded eyes slide open. He rarely ever slept in his hammock, said he feared the hammock would give way under his weight and he'd find himself hurtling toward the ground in the middle of the night, which was a ridiculous notion to Neytiri. The ground was his preferred option and the only time he slept in his hammock was when the ground was wet and muddy.

A golden ray of sunlight streaked brightly across his turned cheek, illuminating the phosphorescent spots on his blue skin. If she was to be honest with herself, Jake Sully was very handsome by Na'vi standards. He didn't have the harsh, stern mask that most males wore on their faces, but instead his face held a permanent mask of fascination and childish wonder. Her eyes scanned over his shoulders and chest, and Neytiri felt the blood rush to her cheeks and her heart pound as a big wave of her affections for him swelled like the rising tide in her chest. The physical training she had subjected him to had toned his torso, turning the soft muscles he'd first had into the long, lean ones of a would-be Na'vi warrior.

Today was a big day for her apprentice. Jake was going to choose an Ikran and form _tsa'haylu _with it, but even before that danger was the treacherous climb up the Hallelujah Mountains to reach the Ikrans' nesting grounds. She didn't doubt his ability at all, she knew he was well capable of succeeding today but what bugged her was what came after that. If he succeeded in forming a bond with an Ikran, he would be initiated into the clan as one of the Omaticaya tonight and then he would be entitled to choosing a female to mate with for life.

The Na'vi princess's eyebrows knitted as she watched over her handsome apprentice. Neytiri was aware that her feelings of affection for Jake were not alone. Many other females took an interest in him and they showed it by swooning quietly to themselves whenever he passed and fawning over him at feasts and gatherings. It would be foolish of her to think that Jake might choose her for a mate when, clearly, he was spoilt for choice. Her heart sank a little at the thought and she sighed quietly. Besides, she was betrothed to Tsu'tey.

The males' reactions to Jake was quite the opposite. Most of them avoided and ostracised him for his Dreamwalker differences, claiming his scent was foreign and that he was intruding. However, in Neytiri's opinion, easily half of them who regarded Jake with abhorrence were jealous of his popularity among the females and the fact that, despite being different, he was succeeding in the Na'vi way of living.

Deciding to wake him, she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and shook him a little, "Jake. Jake Sully, awaken." Silence. "Jake!" Still no sign of waking up. Neytiri sighed for the hundredth time that morning and trailed her fingers along his arm. Reaching his hand she took it in hers, watching his face for any sign of awakening, and there was none. Feeling a bit bolder, she began playing with his fingers, tapping each of the five in turn, fascinated particularly by his fifth and little finger.

Neytiri didn't care that he was different. So what if he had five fingers, slightly different ears and a different scent? Just because he smelled foreign didn't mean he smelled bad. It was quite the contrary actually. His scent was musky and alluring, different from the other males, and she was sure that his scent was part of the reason the females found him so attractive.

The Na'vi princess attempted to wake her apprentice yet again, shaking him a little more vigorously than before, but to no avail the young male slept on. Furrowing her eyebrows, Neytiri lowered her head to his chest, her face facing his neck, intending to check if he was still alive. She hesitated for a split second before her cheek made contact with his chest. An involuntary sigh of content escaped her lips and she froze to see if she had awakened him. Oh how embarrassing it would be if she was caught by him in this position.

Sure, she had wanted to check his heartbeat, but there were also underlying reasons stemming from her swirling emotions that tempted her to lay her head on his chest. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. His heartbeat was steady and his body was still warm, very warm, which was a clear indication that he hadn't gone to be with Eywa yet.

Jake's intoxicating scent filled Neytiri's nostrils and her head spun as her heart rate increased. Taking a deep breath and drawing his sweet scent in slowly, she let a smile creep across her beautiful face. The sound of his heartbeat was soothing and she listened to it contently, letting it lull her almost right back to sleep again when Jake spoke out of the blue, "You know, my heart beats at about fifty beats a minute and your head's been on my chest for about two minutes now. Surely if you had wanted to check if I was alive you could've done so very quickly. Unless you _wanted_ to rest your head on my chest."

Neytiri jumped several feet away from him as his sudden speech startled her. The tone of Jake's voice was teasing and the Na'vi princess flushed with embarrassment as she looked away from him and at the ground. The young male sat himself upright, stretching a little as he did so. He flashed her a brilliant smile and greeted her 'good morning', to which she stiffly returned the greeting.

"How long have you been awake?" Neytiri asked in a deadpan, effectively concealing the turmoil of embarrassment that was bubbling inside her.

Jake shrugged casually and cocked his head to the side, "A while now."

So he had probably felt and heard everything; her playing with his fingers, her calling his name, her sigh of pleasure at resting her head on his chest.

Neytiri sighed, shaking her head gravely and glaring at him angrily, "You should not do that, Jake Sully! It frightens me when I try to awaken you and you do not awaken! It is as if you have gone to be with Eywa in the night!" Anger was the easiest emotion to channel when one was embarrassed.

Jake's expression fell and he bit his lip guiltily, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

The Na'vi princess got up, plucked several Zakxti fruits from their tree and tossed them carelessly at Jake , "Eat. You will need your strength today."

"Thanks," Jake muttered, before biting into one of them, trying futilely to stop the copious amount of juice from dribbling off his chin.

Neytiri watched him out of the corner of her eye, wanting to laugh but refraining from doing so with much effort. He was still so much like a child. Despite his physical appearance and all the mental and physical training she had put him through he was still so childlike in many respects. She had realised that no matter how much he accomplished or how skilled he became, his streak of childish recklessness clung to him with no sign of letting go.

"Now remember, Jake. The Ikran must choose you before you advance." The young Na'vi female began, turning and sitting back down in front of her apprentice, who was stuffing his face with Zakxti fruit. "Focus on the Ikran only and don't forget about _tsa'haylu_, the bond."

Finishing off the last of the Zakxti fruit, Jake wiped his mouth with several leaves, "You're sure I'm ready for this? This whole choosing my Ikran business? What if I don't succeed?"

Neytiri scoffed playfully at his remark, waving it off, "You will succeed! I believe in you, Jake, you are ready."

Jake smiled his brilliant smile again, the smile which Neytiri had grown to enjoy seeing. Then the thought hit her so hard it made her heart grow cold. She believed he could do it and she was sure he would succeed, but there was always that slim chance of him _not_ succeeding.

"It's good that you believe in me but I'm not so sure I believe in myself." Jake replied, "What if I fail, Neytiri? What happens then?"

There were only two outcomes to today, either he succeeded or he didn't, and the consequences of those outcomes were at two extremes. Getting up, Neytiri pulled Jake to his feet. Her golden orbs burned intensely into his as their gazes locked. If he succeeded then he would officially be a Na'vi warrior and get initiated into the clan. If he didn't then it would only mean that he hadn't survived his duel with the Ikran.

"What?" Jake asked slowly, his smile fading and a frown replacing it, "What happens if I don't succeed?"

Suddenly the thought of not ever seeing Jake smile again or not ever being able to smack him over the head when he did something wrong became too much for Neytiri to bear and she turned away from him. It dawned on her then how hopelessly head over heels in love she was with him. She could not deny it now, couldn't blame it on infatuation any longer. Tears sprang to her eyes as she struggled to stop them falling, but the harder she tried the more her eyes swam in tears and eventually the fat droplets fell. Her hands flew to her face as she sobbed softly into them.

"Wow h-hey, what's wrong? Did I say s-something to upset you?" Jake stuttered frantically as he pulled Neytiri into his chest and rubbed her back, "Hey look, I'm s-sorry, ok? Whatever I said, I'm sorry."

Pulling away a little she slapped him in the chest, "No you stupid _skxawng _(moron)_!_ You have said nothing wrong."

"Then what is wrong?" Jake asked desperately, as more tears began to fall and she started shaking her head, "Come on, Neytiri, talk to me."

Neytiri was digging herself a hole and she knew it. She should never have allowed herself to feel this way about him. If he did succeed that would be great and she'd be very proud, but then what? Did she expect him to come running to her afterward and proclaim his love for her? He would probably take another female for a mate, maybe Ni'nat or Piral, the best singer or the best huntress, not her.

"Listen to me," Neytiri said, placing both hands on either side of his face, "Remember everything that I've taught you. You must not fail today, Jake. If you do, it will mean that I have not done my job as a teacher." _And you will die_, she thought to herself.

Jake scoffed, "Is that what you're upset over? About possibly failing as a teacher? Oh please, if I don't succeed then the problem lies with me in being a bad student." Neytiri's bottom lip trembled again and as he looked into her eyes, he knew that she was hiding something from him. It wasn't about her failing as a teacher. There was a much bigger consequence on the horizon.

"Jake, if you do not succeed today. It will mean that you have died trying to complete your task."

"Oh," Jake's voice was barely a whisper as he registered her words, "Well, if I die then don't take it upon yourself, Neytiri. You've taught me everything you know, the rest of it is up to me." Neytiri sniffed and a grin played across his lips, "Anyway, if I die then good riddance right? You won't ever have to listen to my horrible Na'vi again."

The Na'vi princess laughed at that but the moment was fleeting as her fear for him returned, "No, I would miss the sound of your horrible Na'vi. Just be careful today and stay alert."

Jake's hands reached up and cupped hers around his face. Her tears glistened on her beautifully patterned face and he sighed, closing his eyes. This task was inevitable. He had to succeed in forming _tsa'haylu _with an Ikran to be initiated into the clan. He didn't plan on dying but it was a possibility. Opening his eyes, his golden-green ones were met with her bright yellow ones as they gazed at one another. He made up his mind right then. He was going to succeed and he would see Neytiri at the initiation feast. This was _not_ going to be the last time they shared a moment with each other.

Slowly, Jake's face inched forward and their noses touched. Neytiri's eyes closed and she mentally scolded herself for encouraging her affections for him. She would pay the price for this later. He didn't feel the same way! He was merely trying to comfort her. Nevertheless, she nuzzled his nose gently before pulling away and taking a deep breath.

"Come, we should meet the others. They will be setting off soon." Neytiri said calmly, picking her bow up from the ground and swinging it over her shoulder onto her back whilst walking away. "Besides, we should not speak so negatively. You are not to fail today."

Jake chuckled and picked up his own belongings, jogging after her, "I'll take that as an order, ma'am."

***** JAKE & NEYTIRI *****

_**A/N: The end! Hopefully that wasn't too awful. I have this complex, where every time I write a piece of fanfiction, I worry myself to death thinking that no one will like it, so if you did like it then please review and let me know. It would make me feel so much better, really. Thanks for reading everyone, I'm very appreciative!**_

_**Note: I know Neytiri comes off as being a very strong female in the movie and she is indeed, which is why some of you may find it strange for her to have cried so easily in this story. But remember, that I shortened the time gap between Jake's Ikran bonding and his initiation into the clan, which means that I set this story the morning before they mate by the Tree of Souls after Jake's initiation. So in my opinion, by this time, Neytiri has already grown very close to Jake and vice versa, and so losing Jake, to Neytiri, would be like losing a loved one. This is my reason for portraying Neytiri in this manner, so I hope this explains her out-of-character crying behaviour. Oh and also, 'Zakxti fruit' is one of my made-up creations, so it's not actually something that's an official Na'vi word or anything. **_

**_P.S Sorry for any typos! I try to correct them all but who knows? Maybe a sneaky one evaded me. :P _**


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